@Niftyness: We have people like Lewis, Iyzebel, Scott, Thorne, Bonnie, The SFC11 Vile Cheating Scum, Rosella, and Brandi to ruin our lives. This cast is honestly really, really bad. SWSU doesn't seem to realize that having a ton of negative or unlikable characters does NOT equal entertainment or enjoyment. This will be SFC10 all over again. Watch.

@Tailslover13: Thorne wasn't really a life-ruiner, Scott has only been judged on first impression, Brandi knows how she was portrayed on the show and could've taken a level in humility, Bonnie has her therapist which could reveal a new side (and if not, I'm sure SWSU knows to execute her swiftly this time,) SFC11...well I'm familiar with your hate of it so I won't try to make an argument for him, lol.

Point is, we haven't met half of this cast, and the other half of this cast has an actual chance for character development with their loved ones. SFC10 wasn't the best because there was such little character development that prevented us from getting invested with the story arcs. This time, they have people that know them outside of the game and can provide a new side/new insight/new EVERYTHING to them, while the they themselves could become the newest SFC legend(s) at the same time. There's a lot of potential with this season and so many cool dynamics waiting to happen and I'm willing to embrace them as they come. Good or bad, I want to ride this rollercoaster. If you end up being right about this season being SFC10 all over again, though, then you get bragging rights on that, heh!

And the last ones board the train.
Tialayla - Ayyy welcome back girl! The snarky underdog is back again. She really was drawn a series of bad hands during SFC11 but still somehow managed to last a lot longer than most would under her circumstances. If there's one thing she has experience with in this game, it's fighting to survive and staying resilient. I can see her going far a second time easily due to her ability to dig in and stay in the game last time we saw her. Mid-merge boot is my prediction for her.

Riley - Huh, a submissive type eh? Reminds me of Luke from SFC4 with the way his loyalty trait is being built up. However, I'm sure people will recognize this earlier on and try to take him out to weaken Tialayla. However, he may surpise me and get a growth arc instead. Either way I'm really doubting his ability to actually win the game in the end just based off of this intro. I'd peg him as a pre-merge boot, gets voted off to try and weaken Tialayla (who will probably bounce back from it anyways.)

Vinnie - They say your hair gets more and more gray/white as you age. But for Vinnie, his hair just gets darker. (Or he dyed his hair. That's probably more likely.) I know a lot of people already expected him to be here but the fact that it's 100% confirmed now just makes me that much more hyped to see him back a third time. I'm praying and hoping he goes far in the game and isn't weighed down by his daughter instead. God, if his daughter was his downbringing that'd be a bit ironic, wouldn't it? I'm predicting (and hoping) he's an endgamer.

Rosella - PLEASE DO NOT BE ON THE SAME TRIBE AS VINNIE! Otherwise I fear that, if they're on the same tribe at the start, she'll drag Vinnie down due to her dependence on him. And then what'll happen to her from there? I mean, maybe she can step up after a rough wake-up call of her father being voted out because of her, but at this moment I don't find that a very satisfying storyline for this pair. I want Vinnie to go far and Rosella to gain independence but...ugh, I don't know if both will actually happen. I'll peg her as a mid-merger in hopes that both my hopes for this pair's storylines end up succeeding.

tialayla: i guess she got a bit of a redesign? she doesn't have extra wide eyes anymore. tialayla was a fun, scrappy character in sfc11, so it should be fun to see how she competes this time around... you know, with all these crazy personalities.

riley: why is he doing the :3 face? he seems to be quite different from tialayla. opposites attract, i guess! also for some reason, he feels like an late/endgamer. he'll play a bit of a comic relief "look how lame he is!" role, and at some point, he'll manage to muster up some real strength and bravery in a heartwarming ottp moment. i know i'm right on this!

vinnie: here he is, the vinster, the vinninator, the v-man, the vinini sandwich, mr. idol hands himself! i think he'll have a decently large target on his back, but he should be crafty enough to survive for a while. for some reason, i'm trying to figure out how eli reacts to him. probably starstruck for a while, until he realizes how dangerous vinnie can be.

rosella: maybe she gets the "muster up the strength" journey instead of riley? not sure what else to say. ouch at frost's comments lol.

Tialayla: Oh yeah.. Uh.. She was.. OK there's 15 seasons with casts ranging from 16 to 20, do I have to remember EVERYONE?

Riley: So Frost says he's a wuss and early boot material.. Yeah I got my winner pick. Goes from being a pussy to becoming a badass winner. This edit's gonna be so obvious it'l make Eli's head explode.

Vinnie: THE villain. THE man. THE.. guy got fucking stabbed by a psycho bitch. I'm still scratching my head about that one. It's been so long since he played, I think he'l be like Baxter and make way farther than he should.

Rosella: Oh great, another redheaded bitch (or is that brown..?) on a season that already has probably the best character of that archetype (not that that's saying much..) She'll develop as a character, become less spoiled blah blah Vinnie maybe you should've raised her better

So despite me being pessimistic about this cast (WHY BONNIE) I'm still hypoed for this beyond belief.

@Blastoise_FTW: @Tialayla The third and last character who survived the absolute massacre of Eli's and Paine's pre-merge tribe in SFC11. Spent the entirety of her time in that tribe in the minority as well. Someone in this comment section used a screenshot saying "FREEDOM FOR T!" with her escaping her sinking ship of a tribe at the tribal swap for years as their avatar, but I don't remember who used it. That's half the reason I remembered her in the first place. I honestly don't remember a thing she did after the merge started though.

Edit: Actually, it was sesareee with the avatar and he's still using it. Went to the SFC 11 finale comic and saw it still there~

Dear God this cast is REALLY bad. And, no, for any assholes who want to attack me and say "Don't read it then; go away", just fuck off. I can give my opinions if I want just like everybody else. So, here would be my rankings:

Riley: Interesting. He's probably going to be taken advantage of by the more worldly players, but I could see him being a breath of fresh air in this highly negative gas.

Vinnie: Holy crap, I missed Vinnie. He was one of the finest characters in one of my favorite seasons. Here's hoping he lasts long enough to leave his mark upon this game.

Rosella: Probably an early boot, honestly. I can see her lack of self-reliance making her a burden to the tribe. Plus that would make a good incentive for Vinnie to succeed. Then again, she could learn from her conniving dad firsthand.

Shame we had to see Frost again, but it is what it is. I can't wait for this season to start!

@Sonofhades: @Tialayla The third and last character who survived the absolute massacre of Eli's and Paine's pre-merge tribe in SFC11. Spent the entirety of her time in that tribe in the minority as well. Someone in this comment section used a screenshot saying "FREEDOM FOR T!" with her escaping her sinking ship of a tribe at the tribal swap for years as their avatar, but I don't remember who used it. That's half the reason I remembered her in the first place. I honestly don't remember a thing she did after the merge started though.

Edit: Actually, it was sesareee with the avatar and he's still using it. Went to the SFC 11 finale comic and saw it still there~

And the train pulls into the station! And drat, I forgot that there's a gap between the cast releases and the actual start date.....oh well. Let's get this underway~

Frost: "I don't even know why I'm here instead of playing" Because I legitimately don't remember you. Your sprite and name seem familiar, but.......that's about it. Might glimpse through SFC13 in a bit to get a better idea....

Tialayla: She should be enjoyable. Despite absolutely loving SFC 11, that was pretty much entirely due to Eli.... out of the remaining cast I think she's a good pick though. I think she has pretty decent odds of going far, but her and Eli might come to a head very quickly in this season.
Btw, it seems this is her.....Second Life in the game *bu-dum tss*

Riley: OOO, I LIKE you. Sounds like someone who'll be very enjoyable to watch, whether he ends up good at the game or not. I can't see him leaving sooner than Episode 6, not that that's saying much. I'm certain he'll be one of my favorite newcomers, and he's certainly the newcomer I'm most confident I'll enjoy.
Btw, "At least one three-peater?" kinda gave away there'd be another with only one character left~

Vinnie: Heh, so we DID see him in the preview, just.....he's not bald anymore. Yeah, guess we should have seen that coming. Was hoping for Vent to be honest, but Vinnie is a very good pick as well. I don't have much to say about him honestly, except that he'll either make it VERY far (final 5), leave VERY early (first 3), or be taken out by Rosella. Those are the only three futures for him.

Rosella: Heh, a character type that I usually hate, but with Vinnie by her side I might actually like her in this context. Vinnie will either be trying to please her or scold her for her attitude for the entire season (until one of them leaves) and I think that'll be quite entertaining. Also, given the context for her being here, she'll probably crash and burn without him. If she's not the first boot that is, which I can certainly see as well.

And with that, the pre-season roundup is finished! I'm very much looking forward to this cast, and the character relationships look extremely entertaining! I'm just really really REALLY hoping Eli doesn't leave early (although I'm still fully expecting it), but aside from that I have really high expectations going into this, so I'll be waiting for that fabled starting date~

@anime9001: Frost was a bitchy parody character from season 13. Jerkish personality, a laundry list of special powers, great physical strength... and she got voted out because she sneezed during an immunity challenge. Nobody much liked her in- or out-of-universe.

Tialayla: No, seriously, who the hell is this? Obviously, I've blocked off most of Season 11, but still, I couldn't tell you a thing about Tialayla that doesn't involve the words "Season", "Eleven", or "Paine".

Riley: Well, we had to get to our "Mr. Underdog" at some point. Riley is very clearly going to have a hard time out there. He'll have to be lucky if he makes it a few rounds. I just don't see him having a successful story.

Vinnie: How come Vinnie looks totally different every time he comes back? Whatever. After his emergency exit in All-Stars, I'm so ready to see Vinnie take control of the game again. I really hope he's not pegged as a threat early on, because we need *really* need him this season.

Rosella: Ugh. Daddy's girl stereotype. I already know what's going to happen with her, and I'm not going to like it. Pass.

If I sound drained by this point, it's mostly because, to put it lightly, I'm not a fan of this cast. I'm still following the season, but I expect to get really angry while doing so. But at the very least, it shouldn't be as bad as Game Changers.

@GaryHawkinsLandscaper: @Tialayla The third and last character who survived the absolute massacre of Eli's and Paine's pre-merge tribe in SFC11. Spent the entirety of her time in that tribe in the minority as well. Someone in this comment section used a screenshot saying "FREEDOM FOR T!" with her escaping her sinking ship of a tribe at the tribal swap for years as their avatar, but I don't remember who used it. That's half the reason I remembered her in the first place. I honestly don't remember a thing she did after the merge started though.

Edit: Actually, it was sesareee with the avatar and he's still using it. Went to the SFC 11 finale comic and saw it still there~

(Second time I've copied and pasted this, was she really THAT forgettable? Only 3 people survived Eli's tribe?)

Tialayla: Eh. She has a fighting chance. Could sneak under the radar of the more volatile personas.
Riley: He better learn quick that there are not-nice people lookin' to take advantage of him, or he's gonna be dead-in-the-water. Still, I'm rootin' for ya, buddy~
Vinnie: Yes. This pleases me greatly. The target might be on his back, but that didn't stop him before. Awesome.
Rosella: She does seem like the obvious first-boot. But there's a chance that she throws a spanner-in-the-works for someone... probably Vinnie.

Whilst I'm waiting rather impatiently, I suppose I shall follow the crowd and make some final first impressions on the Castaways as a whole.

Bonnie & Sarah(S9.S10/3rd.3rd) I'm worried about this pair. Bonnie is undoubtedly a jerk, but Sarah is tough enough to keep her in line. Which one is more fearsome: The psychotic bitch or the one holding her leash? I don't know how this will go, but it'll be interesting to watch at least.
Bowser & Bowser Jr.(S12/11th) Sure, they know the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser is returning from a decent run... but that paints a big target on the Big Guy's back. I'd think Bowser Jr. will last longer than his old man, although not TOO much longer.
Bradley & Doris(S14/4th) If Bradley is willing to get dirty this time around, Doris may or may not be on board. There might be some friction between them, but I've got faith they'll be true to each other... which might be a bad thing, now that I think about it.
Brandi & Lake(S15/7th) Between the stress of the game and certain paranormal activity, I don't have much hope for Brandi to last longer than she did. As for Lake, he's a bit of a wildcard. If he's willing to work with the more unsavory Castaways, he'll do very well.
Damon & Angelo(S13/6th) I sense there's a friendly rivalry between them, which should serve them well in the game. With Damon's experience and Angelo's wits, they better play dumb or it'll spell bad news for them both. Thankfully, it should be relatively easy.
Eli & Cassidy(S11/2nd) Being the one closest to winning than any other returning castaway this season (with maybe the exception of Bonnie), Eli's in deep water already. Hopefully his goofy demeanor and cousin Cassidy will deflect early attention away from them. As for Cassidy, having different opinions doesn't mean she's stupid... She'll be as dangerous (if not more so) than Eli!
Iyzebel & Scott(S13/4th) They'll be interesting to watch, that's for damn sure. Aggressive, sneaky, downright hostile... They'll either be the fire-cracker that blows up the game or fizzles out early. My money is on some snap-crackle-pop working up to a self-destructive blast sometime mid-game.
Thorne & Sierra(S14/11th) Estranged sisters, with one trying to reach the other. I already have a feeling how it'll go... And it's not gonna be happy-feel-good-times. Still, I'm pickin' Thorne as the one to win it all~
Tialayla & Riley(S11/8th) They're pretty mild-mannered compared to the rest of the Castaways, and can slip through the cracks. Still, they'll need to push their way to the end with some sneaky plays. Tialaya's scrappy enough, but Riley might just drag her down with him... unless he 'mans up'.
Vinnie & Rosella(S2.6/4th.13th) It's been 10 Seasons since Vinnie's returned to SFC, but I don't think he's gone rusty, far from it. As for Rosella, she'll be sticking around longer than she wants, I think. And it will be hilarious.

Lastly, for Endgame picks: Bradley, Sarah, Scott, Thorne and Vinnie. They all seem tough enough to last as well as cunning enough to sidestep potential pitfalls. But do they have what it takes to win? Man, I hope so.

Tialayla/Riley are people I know that I just LOVE already. True I didn't really fully pay attention to SFC until S12 but even then, I already went through some of the histories revolving around our RTs. given that 1 had HORRENDOUS luck as an underdog & that 1 is EXACTLY MY perfect cup of tea, I think Tia/Riley make the most PERFECT couple there overall! ^_^

Vinnie/Rosella were such GIMMIES w/ Vinnie to return after 10 SEASONS away. Given that Vinnie has NOT been part of the show for a LONG ASS time, he SHOULD have the advantage of people not having their memories tested too well on how he did WAY back then twice. Rosella, honestly is a HUGE letdown already to me, bc not only did I really WANT her to be the NIECE, but that she's gonna ACT like a spoiled bitch as well! UGH, I absolutely HATE how somethings just do NOT do how I IMAGINE they'd plan out indeed!

Also, if ANYONE wants to see my predictions for these 20 people, PLEASE check out my comment(s) on the Deviantart section for this 5th/Final Batch, since it was a LOT easier to make it from there. & yes, my username is the SAME as this here on Smackjeeves, so please go check it out real quick, & let me know what you think of it either there or here even. Anyhow, thanks again if you did take a look at the predictions either way. ^_^

I think the reason everyone's nervous about this cast was because of Battle of the Tribes. Tons of villains. I don't think it's going to be bad. The cast is questionable, but I think SWSU is aware of it, and intends to surprise us.

Of course, there's chances of people reforming and becoming good. Not to mention the loved ones are going to be the stars out here.

@TJBambi93: Also, I want to make a plea to the comment sections on both deviantart and Smackjeeves. Can we have less negativity?

I don't want to constantly see posts of "I hate X because they're targeting my fav Y, they're the devil". Like we did with Dustin and Sylvia, who weren't entirely villains or bad guys in general. It just ruins the experience.

Everyone has their opinions, and that's absolutely fine, but please, let's just have a fun season and see what SWSU brings this time around.

Today's comic sure reminds me why I hated Frost in her original season. Her attitude still sickens me.

Tialayla: Despite her bad luck, she came closest to being a "survivor" than the other contestants in her season. Maybe she will be the first jury member?
Riley: He seems nice and will probably surprise us the same way Norman did.
Vinnie: It may seem harder to root for a villain but he sure impressed me in the past seasons. Final 5 please.
Rosella: If she's as lazy as she's described by Jeff then she will be among the first contestants to leave.

Personally, I like the cast and the returnees that were picked. Everything set for another entertaining season.

Aaaaand this cast is amazing. Round of applause for you SWSU for a great set of returnees.

Tialayla: Don't really have much of an opinion on her, didn't think much of her during SFC11 but she definitely has upside to do better this time. Don't have too much confidence in her though (Mid Pre-Merge)

Riley: Oh I think I'm gonna like him. Hope he and T start on the same tribe to see their interactions (Early to Mid Merge)

Vinnie: YESSS! OH MY GOD this is awesome. Vinnie has always been my favorite SFC character and I never thought I would get to see him again! My pick to win, not even gonna try to hide my bias :D (Winner)

Rosella: While it seems she'll be similar to past red-head characters, I'm intrigued by what she could potentially offer to this season. Being related to Vinnie is only a plus for her! (Mid pre-merge)

@Blastoise_FTW: Yes, I'm sure. If you looked at my corrected Edgic for SFC1, you'd see that the final two is Pat Vs. Craig, and the likable Craig wins. I try to explain why it works so well. If you don't agree, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I just felt that having a lovable oaf like Craig win is a lot more fun than someone like Skylar.